A nine-year-old prohibited from bringing his My Little Pony Backpack to school is now allowed to.
Grayson Bruce was reportedly bullied by other children at Candler Elementary School in North Carolina where he attended, and was told to keep the bag at his house, subsequently irritating his mother WHNS reported Friday.
"We have appreciated the opportunity to meet with the Bruce family and discuss the issues. We sincerely regret that the issue of being told to leave the book bag at home was perceived as blaming Grayson. While that was not the intent, the perception became reality. We support Grayson bringing the book bag to school," The Buncombe said in a statement Thursday WHNS reported. "We discussed a number of options to consider in moving forward for Grayson. All of the options discussed included a safety transition plan and an allowance for Grayson to bring the book bag to school," the district said in the statement.
The district also plans to reference the case in future instances where bullying might occur, and requests time to confer about what the best situation for Bruce and his fellow students is WHNS reported.
"Every situation with young children is a teachable moment and we will use this example in our efforts to address a wider issue of bullying. The Bruce family has committed to working with us to improve and enhance our anti-bullying programs," the district said in the statement.
"We ask for everyone's patience and understanding as we continue to work collaboratively with the family toward a resolution that is best for Grayson and his classmates at Candler Elementary School," the district said in the statement.
Bruce was not aware of the attention bringing the backpack to school would create.
"I thought it was a blue backpack. I didn't think it was going to get the reaction that it did," Bruce told WHNS.
